


How Dulse got his shiny Axew.

by AsymptoticWay



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Dulse deserves the best, F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on deviantART, POV Original Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 20:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17433278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsymptoticWay/pseuds/AsymptoticWay
Summary: Just a one-shot prequel to The lifeless land, set during Codey's short-lived Alolan adventure. Codey is plotting to forcibly gift a Pokémon to Dulse while struggling to convince one of her future professors that she is, in fact, capable of taking university seriously.





	How Dulse got his shiny Axew.

-Excuse me,- Codey had to interrupt, -I think I have an incoming call.

She stepped backwards while pulling her phone out of her left pocket. Checking the screen caused her heart to flutter in her chest for a tiny moment. It was a video call from Dulse.

-I… really need to answer this right now, I… I’m sorry.

-Who is that, dear?

-A friend…

She ran her finger across the glass to accept the call. The screen became black, then Dulse appeared. The azure fabric of the camping tent Codey had seen in the Mele Mele meadow three days before surrounded him and plenty of sunlight filtered through, turning the environment bright turquoise.

-Codey, pardon for bothering, but I think we have a problem.

-I… uh,- she stuttered, -What… What kinda problem?

He seemed exhausted, with livid eyebags that made his ice blue irises look almost white. His wavy purple hair was loose and messy, and it framed his head like the fluffy mane of a young lion – gleaming teal in the eerie light.

-It’s about the egg you forgot here when you came to visit. Yesterday in the evening the temperature dropped, so Zossie suggested I kept it close to prevent it from cooling down so much it would have dealt heavy damage to the baby. I was so tired that I happened to fall asleep with your egg resting in my lap. It hatched during the night.

-Oh,- said Codey, allowing some slight disappointment to show up in her voice, -It… it did?

-I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. I assume you had been looking forward to witnessing the birth of this creature ever since the egg was gifted to you.

-What Pokémon did it hatch into?

Dulse was expecting her to look much more upset at the news, so he hesitated for a moment before resuming his talk.

-Just as we were thinking, it’s not indigenous. Zossie and I had to browse the Pokédex to search for it. We compared the hatchling to all 807 Pokémon species known to date, and, well, it looks a bit like an Axew to us.

-What do you mean by that?

-We can’t tell. It’s confusing.

-Dulse, this doesn’t make any sense. Either it is an Axew or it’s not. There is no in between.

-According to the structure of its body, it is indeed an Axew. Yet, the coloration is just not right. Try not to panic, Codey, but I believe it might be suffering from a rare birth defect or a disease.

Codey grew paler. Her voice flickered as she said:

-I… I must see it.

The newborn had been sitting in Dulse’s lap for the whole time, apparently, because he just had to lower his phone a bit to catch it on camera. Tiny adjustments in the color balance as the lens were overshadowed by Dulse’s body reduced the pervasive blue tone that had dominated the screen so far and enabled Codey to see that yes, it was indeed an Axew – only slightly more brownish in tinge than other specimens she had ever met or seen in pictures; moreover, its collar marking was violet instead of green.

-It has been sleeping since I woke up an hour ago,- said Dulse, returning his device to its original position. Everything went back to blue.

-Dulse,- exhaled Codey, collapsing in a chair, with both hands shivering uncontrollably so that she almost dropped her phone. -Dulse, it’s… It’s not ill, it’s shiny.

-What was that?- he inquired, raising the camera and drawing it closer to his face, -I failed to catch that last word you said.

-It’s shiny, Dulse. Meaning it’s affected by an unbelievably rare benign genetic condition that causes Pokémon to develop a different coloration to what is usual for their species. I have never seen a shiny Pokémon before in my life because they are so incredibly rare… The odds to find a shiny Pokémon in the wild are like one in 4000.

-You should not be crying, then. On the contrary, it seems to me that you should be feeling rather happy about having stumbled upon such an uncommon occurrence.

Codey wiped off her tears and smiled.

-I am… Oh, Dulse, I definitely am.

-I also think it would be better if you came to collect your new Pokémon partner as soon as you possibly can. Hatchlings tend to establish very prompt behavioral responses to the first living individual they cast their eyes upon soon after being born. This one might have imprinted on me already. That would be kind of a serious problem since I suppose you were counting on it to form parental bonding with you.

Codey took a deep breath. She felt her own cheeks go from pale to glowing red in less than a couple of seconds.

-Hear me out, Dulse.

-Yes.

-I was already planning to let you keep the baby.

-I… beg your pardon?

-Please hear me out. I did not forget the egg at your place, I left it there on purpose. Two or three weeks ago I ended up overhearing a talk you had with Zossie about hoping to be able to do your own island challenge as soon as your job here was done. You even said you would have loved to raise a Pokémon of your own so to give Poipole a playmate, since it has no one and gets bored easily. Starting that day, I have been wanting to gift a Pokémon to you.

-Codey…

-I want you to keep that thing, Dulse. Don’t you even try to refuse. It imprinted on you. It’s yours.

-I do appreciate your concern,- he said, twisting his diaphanous lips into a brief, uneven smile, -But this is a present I simply can’t accept. It is incredibly rare, you said, meaning it’s also incredibly valuable. You can’t just randomly gift a Pokémon worth millions of pokédollars to someone who’s little more than a stranger to you, technically speaking.

-I am not going to change my mind because it was born like that. This is what I have been planning since the very beginning and now I want that creature to stick with you.

-This is very childish,- was his cold remark, -Not to mention quite disappointing. Do you often trick people into believing you’re smarter than you actually are?

-How flattering, Dulse. But I must insist.

He nodded silently, then tilted his head to the left and looked away, in slight but quite noticeable discomfort.

-Well… Thanks, I guess…?

Codey was ablaze with embarrassment and wished that the earth beneath her chair would open wide and swallow her without further notice.

-Is there anything you’re secretly hoping for me to repay you with?

-Be a good Pokémon trainer.

He gave her the same little smile as before. Then some bustling in his lap probably drew his attention, as he glanced down at the cub while everything on screen went shaky.

-It’s waking up,- he said, -I bet it’s hungry. Zossie went out in search for Berries but she has not returned yet.

-I will come to visit as soon as I’m done here today and bring some rare Berries you won’t be able to find in Mele Mele. I suggest you plant them somewhere close to your place, so you can harvest them later. Feed them to the Axew and it’ll get healthier and stronger in no time.

-That would be of great help, Codey. Now I am afraid I must end the call, because I need both hands to attend to proper parental duties starting today. I’ll contact you later for any updates.

His face froze for a split second before disappearing in the dark. Codey spent the following two or three minutes staring blankly at the now empty screen, unable to snap back to what she was doing before the video call started. She was totally overwhelmed with a cluster of intense feelings she couldn’t distinguish nor name anymore and suddenly burst into a nervous, squeaky laughter in response. Her cheeks and nose were still burning red and she wouldn’t stop sweating.

-Miss Augustine,- her professor uttered after a while, -Please, take your time. Just let me know when you’re ready to resume your report.

- _Oh._ Yes, yes, ma’am, I apologize, ma’am, I am mortified, ma’am! I just completely…

-I understand. And if you don’t mind me meddling, I dare say that was way too obvious, dear.

-Uh…?

-Your flirting.

She gasped with her mouth repeatedly, struggling to let some air in. It felt like her very lungs were catching fire and she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe – luckily enough, she thought, as she would have set the room aflame otherwise.

-Either your “friend” is familiar with how you feel about him already, or that was a complete failure, my dear.

-I… Actually…

-Have you ever been with a boy before? As a girl, you are not expected to buy boys expensive gifts. It’s mostly the other way round.

Codey had to stick her teeth in her bottom lip not to shout at her.

-I’d like to resume my report,- she muttered instead in a low, harsh voice.


End file.
